The rapid pace of fullerene research is due in part to the commercial availability in 1990, of fullerene-laden raw soot, toluene extracts comprising mixture of C.sub.60 and C.sub.70, and purified C.sub.60 and C.sub.70. So far, there have been relatively few reports on the chemical modifications of fullerenes. An important aspect of the chemistry of fullerene relates to its behavior towards free radicals. With simple alkyl radicals such as isopropyl and t-butyl, C.sub.60 appears to add a single alkyl radical to produce dimers via bonding between two fullerenes. By way of contrast, photolysis of di-t-butyl peroxide in toluene at 25.degree. C., gives fullerene adducts containing 1 to 8 benzyl groups, while photolysis of di-t-butyl peroxide in benzene at 100.degree. C. gives C.sub.60 adducts bearing from 1 to at least 34 methyl groups derived from the radical initiator. Thermolysis of dibenzoyl peroxide at 110.degree. C. gives C.sub.60 adducts bearing from 1 to at least 11 phenyl groups. There is little structural evidence available on multiple adducts particularly regarding the integrity of the fullerene cage. Clearly, the capricious behavior of fullerenes towards radicals to date, has led to the formation of (a) dimers which readily dissociate, or (b) multiple adducts, and it is likely that other totally unanticipated aspects of radical-induced fullerene chemistry will surface.
Moreover, it is not clear as to whether unactivated long chain alkanes, or alkanes with polar groups would add to fullerenes in the presence of a decomposing free radical initiator, or for that matter whether macromolecules, especially saturated polyalkanes would add to fullerenes or rather undergo radical-induced degradation reactions. Furthermore, it is not known if the different steric requirements of long chain alkanes, and polyalkanes relative to simple alkyl groups, would impede adduct formation.
Also, there is no information regarding the chemical reactivity of the toluene insoluble portion of raw soot which contains higher order fullerenes (C.sub.100 -C.sub.250).